Concrete Contemporary Bird Bath Open Loop 22 Inch
- Regular price
-
$159.99 - Regular price
-
$179.99 - Sale price
-
$159.99
Couldn't load pickup availability
CONTEMPORARY BIRD BATH
You Can See the Garden Through It
The column is a teardrop loop, open all the way through. Grass, gravel or planting shows in the gap, and the piece changes as whatever is behind it changes.
Solid pedestals block what is behind them. This one frames it. In a small garden that difference matters more than it sounds, because a solid column at 22 inches takes a bite out of every sightline it stands in.
The basin is a thick walled cylinder rather than a shallow dish, and the finish is speckled stone with real aggregate in it. Substantial on top, open underneath.
What Makes This Bird Bath Different
- An open column instead of a solid one. The teardrop is cut clean through, so what is behind the piece shows through the middle of it. A solid pedestal interrupts a sightline. This one keeps it, which is why it works in a small garden where a heavier shape would close the space down.
- The gap changes with the season. Spring grass, summer planting, autumn gravel, winter frost. The centre of the piece is whatever is behind it, so it never looks quite the same twice.
- A thick walled basin, not a shallow dish. The bowl has visible depth in its wall, which balances the lightness of the loop below and gives the rim a substantial edge to land on.
- Fill to two inches, not to the brim. Chickadees stand on the thick rim and sip, robins get right in. Filled to the top it becomes a drinking stop and nothing more.
Put something worth seeing behind it. Grass, gravel, low planting, a path. The loop is the point and against a solid wall it closes up and the effect is lost. Twenty two inches is a safe height for birds. Leave open ground on the approach and keep cover within a short flight.
Quick Specifications
| Design | Teardrop open loop column with cylinder basin |
|---|---|
| Material | Concrete |
| Finish | Speckled stone, sealed |
| Height | 22 in. |
| Water depth | 2 in. recommended |
| Assembly | Two piece, no tools required |
| Use | Outdoor year round |
Setup, Care, and Warranty
Setup and placement
Two pieces, no tools. The basin seats onto the loop.
Set it on level solid ground with something open behind it rather than a wall.
Filling it
Two inches is the number. Birds wade rather than swim, so shallow water is what gets them in.
Keeping it clean
The speckled aggregate finish hides marks well. The inside of the loop collects leaves in autumn and is worth clearing, since the gap is the whole point.
Winter
Drain the basin before the first hard frost and leave it empty or turned over. Sealed concrete comes through freeze and thaw well when dry.
3 year warranty
This product includes a 3 year warranty against cracking. Coverage, claim requirements and required documents are subject to the warranty policy that applies at the time of purchase. Keep your order confirmation and contact customer support with your order details if service is needed.
Questions Before You Choose
Is the loop really open?
Cut clean through. You see grass or gravel through the middle of the column, and what shows changes with the season.
Where should it go?
Somewhere with an open background. Against a solid wall the gap closes visually and you lose the reason to choose it. Lawn, gravel and low planting all work.
Is it stable with a hole in the column?
Yes. The loop is thick walled concrete and the base is wide. The opening is in the middle of the form rather than at a load point.
Will birds actually use it?
The thick basin wall gives a substantial rim to land on. Fill to two inches, keep the approach open, and have cover within a short flight.
Every garden has food in it somewhere. Most have no water at all.
None of this is particular to our bird baths. It is true of any backyard, and it is the reason a basin of clean water changes who visits your garden.
Water is used year round
Birds drink and bathe in every season, including the weeks when puddles and shallow ponds are frozen over.
Two inches, no more
Songbirds bathe standing up. A basin deeper than roughly two inches at the centre gets looked at and left alone.
Ten feet from cover
A wet bird is a slow bird. Put the bath near a shrub or a low branch and it gets used; strand it in open lawn and it does not.
Tall enough to be safe. Shallow enough to be used.
Height is not decoration. A pedestal lifts the basin above a cat's easy reach, and puts it at eye level from a kitchen window instead of lost in the planting. The basin slopes as well. It stays shallow at the rim and drops a little toward the centre, so a small bird can stand at the edge and a larger one can stand in the middle.
Fill it to about two inches. That is shallow on purpose, and it is also why it empties and refills in seconds. Exact height and basin width for this piece are in the specifications further down.
Still water, or moving water.
Still
Out of the box it is a basin of standing water, which is all most birds ask for. Fill it, change it every few days, done. No cord, no pump, nothing to fail.
Moving
Add a solar fountain kit and the surface breaks. Moving water carries further than a still basin and keeps mosquitoes from settling. It sits in the basin, so there is no drilling and no wiring.
Three habits, and it outlives the garden bed.
A bird bath does not need much. Almost every one that fails does so for one of two reasons. Either water was left in it through a freeze, or a detergent stripped the surface. Avoid both and the rest is rinsing.
Rinse and refill every few days in warm weather. A tip and a hose is enough.
Scrub with a stiff brush and diluted white vinegar when algae shows. No detergent and no bleach, since both leave residue birds will drink.
Empty it before the first hard frost, or keep it moving with a de-icer. Water left to freeze is the one thing the warranty can't undo.